|
The Claytor Lake Festival begun at 7 a.m. with a fishing tournament. By 10 a.m. on Saturday, vehicles started streaming to the main site, near the beach-front. The near 100-degree heat-index did not deter a large turnout; by noon, the traffic was streaming in. Many visitors took advantage of the food-drive that allowed them to donate food in return for admittance.
A car show, children's activities, radio-controlled vehicle show, several community-service and State booths, and music by several groups insured a happy day for all.
The Fine Arts Committee of the New River Valley (facnrv.org) works with the State park officials and Friends of Claytor Lake to coordinate the complex event. Registrations, mapping of vendors' locations, personnel requirements, and general logistics makes for a challenging planning schedule.
Jaimie Lomasney, Visitor Services Specialist, said that she was impressed by the number of visitors that were so happy about the openness of the Claytor and other State of Virginia, as compared to some states they had visitied. "We want to keep our return-visitors, but we are happy to keep gaining first-time visitors; I look forward to this annual event," said Lomasney.
Radford residents Dan and Mary Hill, along with four family members and two friends, own and operate AMC Concessions. Sno-cones were a "hot" commodity, as they also served cotton-candy and sandwiches. While observing his17-year-old daughter serve sno-cones, Dan reminisced that when she was 5 years-old, they would pay her a nickel to open the bags for cotton candy; that she could handle the whole business now.
The Hale family of Riner, enjoyed their sno-cones, as they planned a full day of activities. They rented a pontoon boat, and are enjoying the full 12-hours of the Festival, including the arts and crafts and fishing, in particular. Click here to see additional photos from this event in our photo gallery. Photos by Larry Middleton
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
